Hoya Volleyball Defeats Iona on Final Day of the Georgetown Classic
The Georgetown University volleyball team defeated Iona, 3-1, today in its final match of the Georgetown Classic in McDonough Arena. The scores were 30-26, 22-30, 30-21, 30-22. Georgetown improves to 2-8 while the Gaels dropped to 2-8 on the season. In Georgetown's earlier match, Towson defeated the Hoyas, 3-1. Game scores were 30-18, 25-30, 18-30, 25-30. In the two other matches today, Northwestern defeated Iona, 3-0 (30-23, 30-9, 30-11) and went on to defeat Towson, 3-0 (30-21, 30-15, 30-18). Sophomore Dana Dumas (Nokomis, Fla./Pine View) had a standout performance over the two-day tournament and was named to the 2007 Georgetown Classic All-Tournament Team.

WASHINGTON – After a successful home debut on Wednesday, the Georgetown women’s volleyball team has turned its attention to the Active Ankle Challenge in Gainesville, Fla. The Hoyas are set to take on Florida at 7 p.m. on Friday, followed by Western Michigan and Iona at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively, on Saturday.

With a 3-0 sweep of George Washington in its pocket, GU now hold s a 4-4 record so far in 2013. As a team, the Hoyas have 378 kills -- led by Lauren Saar’s 94, Alex Johnson’s 93 and Dani White’s 84 – and are hitting .187, while holding opponents to a .183 average. Freshman Caitlin Brauneis has dished out 312 of GU’s 355 assists this year. In the middle, MacKenzie Simpson is holding down the fort, scooping a team-best 135 digs, while White leads all Hoyas with 33 total blocks. Brauneis and fellow classmate Ashlie Williams have 17 a piece, as GU’s young talent is becoming more tested over time.

Through eight matches, the Hoyas are 4-2 in contests with four sets or fewer, thanks to quick play and the ability to keep opponents out of sync. They will need to keep that pace with tough tests against the No. 5 Gators, Broncos and Gaels on the weekend docket.

Florida enters the Friday match with just one loss, to No. 1 Penn State. The Gators, who have only dropped five of 20 sets played in 2013, are led at the net by Chloe Mann and Ziva Recek with 68 and 67 kills, respectively.

The matchup with the Gators also features a few twists as well. GU's Caitlin Brauneis will square off with her older sister, Taylor, who is a setter for the Orange & Blue, while the match will be a homecoming of sorts for Head Coach Arlisa Williams. Williams spent four seasons in Gainesville as an assistant coach under Mary Wise, helping the Gators reach the NCAA Semifinals in 2002 and 2003. Williams also captured multiple top-10 recruiting classes as the recruiting coordinator, including the nation's No. 2 class in 2004.

The Broncos (5-2) have a reluctant attack between the posts, with Stephenee Yancy (112 kills), Alysia Baznik (66 kills) and Rachel Sheffer (62 kills). WMU also is stout defensively, raking in 54 total blocks, led by Ave Stout’s 25.

Iona is coming to Florida with a 1-5 record after two tournaments other tournaments on the road. The Gaels picked up their lone win in Malibu, Calif., over Delaware in three sets. IC is led by Catrina Warren and Taylor Cembaisty, who have combined for 109 kills, more than half of the team’s total thus far.

Georgetown fans can tune into GatorVision for a fee for the Florida match, but all three contests the Hoyas are in will have access to the free live stats.